Seismic surveying is used for identifying subterranean elements, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs, freshwater aquifers, gas injection zones, and so forth. In seismic surveying, seismic sources (such as seismic vibrators, air guns, or other types of sources) are placed at various locations on a land surface or sea floor, with the seismic sources activated to generate seismic waves directed into a subterranean structure.
The seismic waves generated by a seismic source travel into the subterranean structure, with a portion of the seismic waves reflected back to the surface for measurement by seismic receivers (e.g., geophones, accelerometers, etc.). These seismic receivers produce signals that represent detected seismic waves. Signals from seismic receivers are processed to yield information about the content and characteristic of the subterranean structure.